


Little Things Mean A Lot

by SweetDeath



Series: Avert [2]
Category: The X-Files, X-Files - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gay, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Kitty Kallen song, Little Things Mean A Lot, Other, Reader Insert, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Song Lyrics, Song fic, alcohol mention, awkward courting, but you wear a dress because I couldn't think of a formal gender neutral attire, lounge singer, reader - Freeform, sorry if that makes you uncomforable, x Reader, you - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 15:57:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7940506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetDeath/pseuds/SweetDeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You finally gather the courage to call her. The blood rushing through your ears is loud, you hope that when you call her you even hear her (if she answers). Your heart can't take it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Things Mean A Lot

**Author's Note:**

> (Little Things Mean A Lot) Song by Kitty Kallen.  
> This can be read by itself, but it makes more sense with my first fic Coffee Talks.  
> I love Scully so much I will fight for her honor. Lounge singers are also part of my aesthetic tbh.  
> I'm trying to get back into writing fics again so please give me feedback? This is my first series too haha  
> All of this is unplotted so  
> There needs to be more reader insert stuff. In the X-Files fandom and especially for Scully we just need more female characters as romantic interests

“H-Hey, is this Dana Scully? It’s me, I live across from Fox.” You finally gathered the courage to call her, a few days after your run in with her and a coffee date. She actually frazzled you enough for your boss to try to get you to leave for the day, because you didn’t “look too good”. After explaining to him about what happened, the old bar owner grinned. “Aah,” he said, “I remember when I was like that. Young love is wonderful, ain't it?”  
“Listen, I bet you're busy now, so if you ever get the chance to call me back, I would really appreciate that. Maybe I could swing you around my work and get you a free drink or two? ‘Less, of course, this isn’t your phone number, in that case, sorry, wrong number.” You were falling apart here. Stammering and stuttering, you hung up before you could make even more of a fool of yourself. You half-wished that Dana had given you a wrong number so she wouldn’t have to embarrass yourself in front of her. No matter though, she was probably just trying to be friendly to you because you were friends with Fox. No sense in being enemies with a friend’s friend.  
You went home late that night. You had picked up a shift when a co-worker couldn’t make it because they caught the flu. Flu season is terrible. Especially at your job, with all the customers and whatnot.  
Sure, you’re a singer, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t shoulder any other responsibilities at the bar. You had to wipe down tables occasionally, if Mr. Romano needed any help. Talking to customers was also something that happened nearly every night, conversations like ‘Where did you learn to sing?’, ‘How old are you?’, ‘You have lovely voice! What was the name of that song again?’, and your least favorite, ‘Hey, toots, how ‘bout I get your number, uh?’  
Night had fallen, and it was nearly two in the morning. You changed into a baggy sweatshirt and jeans, there was no need to be harassed for that slinky, red number you wore in the bar. Although you told Dana you weren’t a lounge singer like the famous and eternally gorgeous Jessica Rabbit, Mr. Romano insisted you dress to the nines, and after he hired you, he paid for whatever dress you wanted out of his own pocket. Trying to emulate the sensuality and style of the crimson red beauty was great for your self esteem, and Mr. Romano was glad to pay for the dress. He kept going on and on about how you looked beautiful and that you reminded him of his late wife when they were young. He was a sweet man.  
You had called Dana as soon as it was sensible to. You fell asleep, exhausted, in your bed and called her around ten in the morning. Briefly, you wondered what she was doing at work but you pushed that thought aside because you knew that it would be useless to think of her like that if she didn’t think of you like that.  
But does she?

You actually laughed in the empty air of your apartment. Of course she doesn’t. She hardly knows you. It wouldn’t hurt to visit Fox after work though. You decided you should have dinner with him. Honestly, that’s the least you can do after breaking into his apartment, even if he would be pleased to see you. What to make, you thought.  
Hours later, you were done making cheese burgers for the both of you. Fox’s fridge was empty except for a couple of bottles of soda and beer, some old meatloaf, and a strange plate of tomatoes. You did have plenty of time to kill so you went to the market to buy your ingredients and you even bought some extra groceries for Fox too. Some rich guy at the bar last night tipped you, and boy, was it a tip. Most likely blackout drunk, he gave you nearly four hundred dollars. He was probably missing that money today, but you can’t exactly take back a tip.  
The sound of keys knocking together and the doorknob turning made you rush to cut a piece of the strawberry shortcake you baked and gather a burger and a piece of cake on a plate in each arm. You heard Fox walk in the door and you turned the corner with the delicacies armed.  
“I MADE BURGERS AND CAKE, BITCH.”  
Then you noticed the lovely woman right behind Fox. It was Dana Scully. Fox was holding the door open for her to come in and he looked pleasantly surprised and amused. Dana, on the other hand, had eyes wide and she looked slightly affronted. Then a recognition washed over her and she tried desperately to hold in a smile that was tearing at her lips. Fox, however was laughing at your dismay and was clearly very smug; for what, you didn't know, but you wanted to knock the look off his face.  
“Why, hello to you too, home-invader.” He sniffed the air. “It smells great! Let’s eat.”  
So there you were. The television was playing a new episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and though you loved the show, you wanted nothing more than to throw yourself out the window. Fox was happily shoveling food down his throat to your left, a slightly awkward Dana to your right, and there in the middle, you, ashamed and trying to disappear behind the couch cushions. Fox was just all smiles, the cheeky bastard. On the television, Charlie was putting together his Dayman musical and it was falling apart at the seams. That was one of your favorite episodes, but you knew Fox hadn’t seen it yet so you didn’t say anything. You also didn’t say anything because you swore you would never open your mouth again because of this humiliating experience. As soon as the episode was over, you excused yourself, blaming that you had to go work at the bar again tonight.  
As soon as you got to your apartment, you collapsed against the door and dragged your palms down your face. What a night. It hadn’t even begun but you were more than ready to turn in for bed. You were headed to your bedroom to gather the nice red dress before heading off to work when a knock came at your door. It was probably Fox, coming to tease you. You opened the door, ready to snap at him and give him absolute hell.  
“Oh, hey, I got your call earlier and I wanted to say that I’d love to get a drink with you.” Dana smiled albeit uncomfortably.

You were getting ready in a cozy little room to the right of the stage. You didn’t call it backstage because it was neither behind the stage nor was it glamorous or important enough to have that title. You slid on your dress and applied some light makeup. You want to look nice, not trashy. Inspecting your face, you decided you looked nice enough to go onstage. Hair; check. Dress; check. Face; check. Voice? Nervousness riddled your ribcage, blood rushed loudly in your ears. You’ve been warming up for as long as you were getting ready, and some on the walk with Dana. Humming discreetly was hard to maintain in a conversation, but you did it somehow. You hoped she didn't catch on and think you were aloof, because that is absolutely not how you wanted her to think of you. Vocal chords warmed up steadily and soon high and low notes came easily. You were ready.  
Earlier in the night when you first arrived, Mr. Romano noticed you were quite a bit earlier than normal. He also noticed a woman that perfectly matched the description you gave him. Hobbling over, he shook Dana’s hand vigorously. Slightly confused, she looked to you and you gave her a smile to reassure her.  
“Hello, hello! Hello, friend, I am Mr. Romano, I own this bar. What is your name?” His thick accent didn’t conceal his excitement to meet her. Dana introduced herself and when your boss asked what she did for a living and she told him the FBI, he exclaimed and clapped his hands.  
“Oh! How exciting!” He turned to you, “Get your lovely lady here a drink, yes? Then go get ready, my friend.” He shooed you away and sat Dana down, chatting enthusiastically with her. He was a very kind man, and Dana was beginning to look like she enjoyed his company.  
You realized you didn’t know what Dana would like, so you chose a fancy sounding wine for her. You wanted her to have enough to have a good time, but not enough alcohol to get drunk off of. Pouring it into an unusually large wine glass (Mr. Romano likes giving the customers what they pay for), you poured one for your boss too. It was a red wine.  
“Here ya go.” You gently slid the wine to Dana and Mr. Romano. At the moment, he was telling her all about your singing. It was frankly, very embarrassing but flattering. Your face flushed as she laughed lightly.  
“You will love it! Just gorgeous voice, the best I’ve ever heard,” He turned to you, “What are you doing? Don’t keep your lovely lady waiting!” He chastised you. As you hurried off, you wondered if Mr. Romano was meaning to say that she was YOUR lovely lady. You didn’t doubt it.

So there you were. Trying to figure out what would be a nice song to sing without being overly romantic or excruciatingly boring. Sure, you could go with the obvious songs, Fly Me to the Moon, it was lovely but you wanted something special for Dana that wasn’t cliched. You were pondering when your pianist knocked on the door.  
“Ay, baby, what’dya wanna do t’night?” Antonio leaned against the door. He smiled wide and you could barely see a silver tooth near the back of his mouth. He jokingly would tell you that he spent his college fund on it when his parents kicked him out of the house for becoming a musician. That wasn’t the case though; his family was wonderful and he supported them through this job and three others. They were a large family and on the poorer side of town. His mom kept inviting you to dinner and he would deny in your place, embarrassed, although you wanted to meet his family.  
“I’m not sure yet…” Antonio grinned cheekily. “You got a pretty lady out there, yeah?”  
You were red again.  
“Aaaah, I see. How about…” His brows furrowed as he thought. Then his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

The lounge was full tonight, businessmen and businesswomen sat, conversing on tables with candles and dimmed floor lights illuminating the room with a peaceful glow. Their chatter was soft and easy going, Antonio’s soft jazz danced in the background.  
“Hey, lovely people, how’s it goin’ tonight?” Antonio spoke softly into his microphone. “Our very own siren has a special song tonight for a certain friend of theirs out there.” He glanced slyly at Dana. A chorus of sleepy laughter resounded. She smiled awkwardly and tugged some hair behind her ear. The piano never stopped playing.  
“Alright, I won’t keep you waiting. Ladies and gentlemen, and others, please welcome our sweetly singing darling,” He let his audience hang in suspense for a second before calling out your name and playing the song you had decided on. You entered and hung on the stage curtain as you sung the first line.

“Blow me a kiss from across the room…” The red velvet curtain draped across your bare shoulder.  
“Say I look nice when I’m not…” You sang smoothly, sliding out from behind the curtain.  
“Touch my hair as you pass my chair…” You ran your hand slowly through your hair. There was some sparse mummering and even a low whistle in the crowd.  
“Little things,” You stole a glance at Dana through your eyelashes, “mean a lot…”  
She looked absolutely ravished. Her face was pink and her eyes were wide and staring at you in awe. You felt the stinging rush of sudden self-conciousness but pushed it aside. You were on stage and dressed nearly identical to Jessica Rabbit, for Pete’s sake, this wasn’t the time to shrivel up! You turned your head away from her and rolled your shoulders back. The song was only just beginning.  
“Give me your arm as we cross the street,” You stretched your hand out to the crowd and grazed the outstretched fingers of a sharply dressed businesswomen. She laughed slightly and you grinned at her.  
“Call me at six on the dot…” You spun and let your gown flutter.  
“A line a day, when you’re far away,” You slowly stalked to Antonio, putting on a show of stretching your legs for the crowd, “Little things mean a lot.”

The piano was black and glossy, the light bounced off of it like a mirror. You pulled yourself up on the instrument, Antonio never stopped playing.  
“Don’t have to buy me diamonds or pearls,” You leaned towards Antonio and breathed your song in his face and he leaned in as well and sung improvised background melodies. “Champagne, sables, or such…” You had him by the tie and kissed him on the forehead. An excited cheer rose up from the people. You expected to get a large tip tonight. After all, you were putting on quite a show for Dana; other people with deeper pockets simply happened to be watching at the same time.  
“I never cared much for diamonds or pearls, cause honestly, honey,” You laid across the piano now, “They just cost money!”

“Give me your hand when I’ve lost my way  
“Give me your shoulder to cry on  
“Whether the day is bright or gray  
“Give your heart to rely on.” You belted and your voice drifted, crescendoing and softening. You kept eye contact with Dana for as long as you could, raising your leg through the slit of your dress suggestively. Gazes averted, both sides equally shy.  
“Send me the warmth of a secret smile.” You remembered that you were supposed to be paying attention to the rest of the crowd and you slid off the piano like water on oil and beamed sensually at a table to formally dressed men with empty glasses in front of them. They knocked elbows trying to tell each other that you smiled at them, not the guy next to them.  
“To show me you haven’t forgot,” You started stepping off the stage. Tonight, you would walk among the crowd. “For always and ever, now and forever…” Your shoes tapped the marble floor lazily but with wickedly sharp clarity. No one else walked around while you sang. That was it. No one could ever seem to interfere with your performance, not even with the heel of their shoes.  
“Little things,” You threw a faux heated glance into the crowd. A slight echo bounced through the room. You had no need for a microphone, voice strong enough to be clearly heard and the room small enough to contain the reverberations. “Mean a lot.”

Legs stalking toward Dana, you had a new hop in your step. “Give me your hand when I’ve lost my way,” You took ahold of her hand and sang to her. Sparse cheers supported your action. “Give me your shoulder to cry on.” You cradled her hand and held it to your cheek, nuzzling it. Your eyes had slid closed and when you opened them, Dana’s cheeks were tinged with pink.  
“Whether the day is bright or gray,” You dropped her arm and leaned on the table instead, “Give me your heart to rely on.” Dana gave a little start when your hand came to brush across her cheek; it wasn’t unwelcome but she wasn’t expecting it. Deciding you teased her enough, you sashayed back to the stage.  
“Send me the warmth of a secret smile.” A woman from the crowd helped you onstage, grasping your hand firmly and supporting your waist as you stepped up. You gave her a smile and she was quickly flustered.  
“To show me you haven’t forgot.” Stealing a glance at Antonio, his eyes slid closed and he was mouthing your words. What a cutie. What a dork.  
“For always and ever, now and forever…” You prepared for the ending, walking upstage backwards and slowly. Your hands flew to your collarbone. “Little things mean a lot.” You dragged out the last note. A flurry of applause came from the audience. Dana was clapping shyly, unsure if she should be enthusiastic or if that would seem desperate. You breathed a short laugh in embarrassment and gratitude.  
The rest of the night flew by, your nerves had nearly vanished since your opening song. When it was over, a few patrons came to talk to you, some tipsy and generous with tips. Some flirtatious, but you would firmly and gently not reciprocate their advances. Antonio was playing a lilting tune, simple but catchy. After most of the crowd around the stage cleared, he made a sound with his throat. Turning your head to face him, he pointed in Dana’s direction with his nose. You smiled. She was rolling ice in her glass around, having ordered another drink and drained that one. Her other hand was tracing absent patterns on the table cloth.  
“Hey.” You startled her, breathing the words near her ear.  
“Hey,” She met your eyes, “You never told me you sound like an angel.” Her unusual tease made you recoil, red in the face.  
“You never told me how cute you look when you’re flustered.” You retorted with a cheeky grin on your face. Her lips twisted in a smile that she tried to hold back.  
“Maybe you can bring me back here again and I can find out more things you haven’t told me yet.” The alcohol must have made her brave.  
“I think I’d like that.” Dana stared at you for a moment and you felt anxiety creep in the corners of your mind. Suddenly she stood up and took your hand, dragging you off to behind the stage curtain. On the way, you say Antonio raise his eyebrow at you and he bit his lip to keep his smile from giving away anything to the crowd. Cheeky bastard. You stumbled in your heels and tried to keep up with her brisk pace. As soon as she dragged you out of sight, she cradled your jaw in her hands gently, so gently that you felt like you might have been made of glass. She was grinning at you and you were grinning back.  
“You look great tonight.”  
“Not as great as you.” She shook her head at you. “No, I mean you look really great. I’m really glad you invited me here,” She said, sincerely, “Thank you.”  
“No, no, thank you for coming. I was hoping it wouldn’t I wouldn’t be, like, creepy or anything by asking you.” You both laughed, riddled with nervous energy.  
Dana leaned in and her forehead was against yours. You couldn’t help but let out some more nervous laughter and she cupped your face in her hands. Your breath caught in your chest against your will and you tried to steady your heart that beat like a hummingbird in a cage.  
Dana held the nape of your neck and leaned in. Centimeters from meeting, she halted.  
“May I?”  
“Hell yeah.”  
She smiled and kissed you, you could feel her smile on your own. You had to break away with more nervous laughter. Apologizing, you placed a hand on the small of your back to draw her closer.  
“Sorry, I just wanted to do this for a while.” Dana glanced at the floor, a little self-consciousness herself, hearing that. She looked up when she felt your hand run through her hair and your nails slightly scratched at her scalp. It felt good. She met your eyes and you both laughed a little again.  
“Can I try again?” You asked.  
She smiled. “Of course.”  
Your gaze fell from her eyes to her lips. God, she had the best lips. And face. And body, and personality, and-  
Leaning in, your eyes slid shut. You kissed her softly and she kissed back gently. Her lips were so soft and felt so nice against yours. You could do this as a hobby. Anytime, anywhere, baby.  
After a moment that passed by too fast and too slow, you both pulled back. She smiled at you and you full out grinned. You held her tight to you and her hands on you neck felt so sweet. You touched foreheads again, trying to burn this beautiful moment in your mind forever.  
“So, do you wanna-”  
Mr. Romano called for you. Jesus, you thought, can he have any worse timing? You looked at Dana, asking for permission to go. You half-hoped she would say no and just kiss you senseless.  
She let you go with a half-smile half-grimace. You were much slower in letting her go, giving her waist a little squeeze before you dropped your hands to your sides.  
“I liked that.” You said.  
“I like it too.” She said. You tucked some hair behind her ear and leaned in for one last kiss when Mr. Romano yelled again, closer this time. You sighed and stepped out from behind the curtain, almost falling because you forgot you had heels on. A quick glance around the now almost empty bar and you found him.  
“My beautiful singer! My talented performer, my darling, my friend! How did Miss Dana like your performance? Good? Did you get a girlfriend tonight?” Mr. Romano was eager to hear if you had reeled in the woman you were clearly enamoured with. Oh, the irony.  
You smiled a tight lipped smile at him. “Almost.” His face fell comically. “Oh! We must try again!” He turned around, wandering the lounge, “Antonio! Come here, Antonio, we must try once again!”  
You sighed and jumped when slim fingers entwined with your own. She rested her chin on your shoulder.  
“Are you going to tell Mulder?”  
You turned your head at her, beaming with happiness.  
“I won’t tell it, I’ll sing it.”


End file.
